Rotary internal-combustion engine.



A. n'. GARDNER &,P. WAsmsunN.- ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTIONENGINE.

APPLICATIQNV FILED OCT. 30. 1915. f

Patented Feb. 5, 1918.

[s 'SHEETS-SHEET l.

A. R. GARDNER R P. wAsHRuRN.

ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED ocT. ao. 1915. lPatented Feb. 5, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Mmm/Er l i i t ROTARY INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application med October 30, 19.15. Serial No. 58,777.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, ALBERT R. GARDNER andPAUL WAsHBURN,'citizens of the United States, residing at Seattle, inthe county of King and State of Washington, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Rotary Internal-Combustion Engines, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to rotary internal combustion engines; and itsobject is the perfecting of engines of this type to'enable them to beoperated with a smaller consumption of the power medium, and at a higherefficiency.

To which ends, we provide devices which will perform within the enginecylinder and in a single revolution, the following functions: supplyinga hydro-carbon in a suitable proportion with air, compressing anadmixture of these components into au effective explosive condition, andtransferring the same at a predetermined pressure and in a succession ofcharges from the compressing to the firing positions, igniting thecharges, and discharging the combustion products so that subsequentsupplies of the power medium will be unimpaired.

The invention further consists in the novel construction` location andcombination of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

An embodiment of our invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, `wherein Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section. Fig. 2 isa longitudinal vertical section taken substantially through 2--2 ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a piston and the rocker bearingtherefor. Fig. 4 is a transversevertical section of Fig. 3. Fig.

5 is a top plan view of Figs. `3 and 4 withA the oscillator omitted. Fi6 is a fragmentary perspective view o the wheel ring. Fig. 7 is atransverse vertical sectional view, shown somewhat diagrammatically, ofa modified form of the invention.

y In. carrying out our invention we employ a circular casing comprisedof two substantially similar parts 2 and 3 which are secured together bybolts 4. The outer .or circumferential surface of the chamber 5 withinsaid casing is of va semi-circularform, as

at 6, in transverse section.

Extending from the casing part 2 axiy into the chamber 5 is acylindrical wall 7 whose outer peripheral surface serves as a journalbearing for hub elements 8 offradially arranged pistons 9 havingsemi-circular extremities 10.

The engine shaft 11 extends through the space within the casing Wall 7and is journaled in suitable boxes, such as 21 and 31, provided on orformed integral With the respective casingparts. The shaft 1l is disosedeccentrically with respect to the casing and, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2,it has its axis above and in a vertical plane with the axis of thechamber 5, although it is obvious that the referred to axes may bepositioned in any other plane.

12 represents the rim of a wheel having at one end a web 121 whereby itis joined with a hub 122 which is keyed 'or otherwise secured to saidshaft. The wheel rim l2 at its outer peripheral surface 124 is of asemicylindrical shape in transverse section to fit intothe'correspondingly shaped peripheral surface 6 of the casing chamber atthe top of the latter.v

. Disposed symmetrically in the wheel rim 12 are bores 13 into which arerotatably litted rocker bearings 14, one foreach piston, said bearingsbeing severally provided with slots 141 for the respective pistons toextend diametrically therethrough.

These rocker bearings are each primarily formed of a cylindrical shapeand after being inserted within the wheel bores 13 are machined to havetheir outer sides with' respect to their axis of revolution, finishedto. a curvature 142 corresponding to the outer surface 6 of the chamber5 and fit therewith at the top of the latter.

Beyond theI outer=ends of aslot 141 a bearing 14 has its extremities143v formed of substantially sector shapes to extend into cavities 15provided respectively in the wheel web 121 and a ring 12a which issecured, as by screws 16, to the opposite end of the wheel rim from saidweb. This ring, in effect, is a part of the wheel and is made detachabletoV enable the bores 13 to be conveniently made. The ring 12 and web 121protrude, as shown in Fig. 2, from. the `curved portion of the wheel rim12 and are respectively accommodated in'recesses 23 and 3 pf the casingparts. Said recesses of cir- Fatented Feb. 5, 191.,

Acular configuration and provide at their .each comprised of two partsand having .overlapping ends 211.

The outer portion of a packing device part is relatively thin so as toim ove its resiliency and enable it to yielding y bear against thechamber surface 6, While the inner portion 212 of such part isheld'inits piston groove by the adjacent end 143 of the associated rockerbearing.

Because of the eccentric -mounting of the wheel in the' chamber 5, thebearings 14 are successively moved outwardly upon the pistons 9 `as thelatter ascend in their revoluble travel in the drectionindicated byarrow A in Fig. 1, so that in passing over their Aaxis of revolution atthe top of the chamber, the pistons are sheathed by the bearings. In thefurther travel ofthe pistons the latter are progressively protruded fromsuch bearings until they pass under thme `chamber axis.

Thus we provide intermediate the pistons on one side hereinafterdesignated as the back, expanding compartments,l and' on lthe other sldewhich we term the front, contracting compartments. At or about themid-height of such front we introduce into the chamber 5 hydrocarbon oilthrough a supply pipe 23 provided with a needle valve 231 to regulatethe oil supply.

The oil, as will be presently explained, is delivered in the form of aspray into the chamber to mix with air confined 1n a space, as B,between two pistons.

As the pistons advance, the capacity of the space between such pistonsdiminishes with a consequent increase in pressure until the forward ofthe referred to pistons passesl a relief opening '24 in the casing,whereat a guantity of the gas mixture is discharged mto a pipe 241leading back to and into the casing chamber in proximity to the outletend of the oil supply pipe 23. These two pipes are respectively providedwith nozzles 322 and 242 adapted to deliver the gas discharge from thepipe 24' across thev outlet of nozzle of the other pipe 23 to producethe spray abovealluded to.

243 indicates a valve for regulating the quantity of gas passing throughthe ipe 241.

The trave of the pistons beyond e relief opening 24 further compressesthe explosive mixture and facilitatesA its flow into a receving'pipe 25which is connected to a bypass pipe 26 leading back to the aforesaidrelief opening 24 and also to the pipe 241.

Included in said bypass ipe is a pressurerelief valve 27 of anywellowner suitable type, said valve being regulated to maintain' theiuid pressure within said receiving pipe at or below a predeterminedamount. l The office of the receiving` pipe 25 is that of a reservoir,besides serving to transfer the explosive mixture from the rear to thefront of the engine, whereat it terminates in a port 251.

Explosive charges are admitted into the casing chamber through themedium of pockets 28 provided in the wheel rim 12 as the successivelyrevolve by the port. By suc devices it is evident that as each pocketpasses the port there is but a momentary communication established forthe delivery of Aan explosive charge from the reservoir pipe 25 into thefront of the engine. Subsequent to the closure of said port thepreviously admitted charge is ignited through the agency of a spark plug29, resulting in an Aexplosionwhich is effective against the portions ofthe pistons which protrude from the bearings 14 1n advance, and to therear thereof in the space in which the explosion occurs to drive thewheel in the direction denoted by arrow A.

-As illustrated, the sparking plug is located in front of and inproximity to the tangential contact between the chamber 5 and the wheelin order that an explosion may be made at or aboutthe time that thepiston to the rear of a charge is passing the vertical axis of thechamber or, where the fit of the wheel at `the port is not tight, afterthe referred to piston has passed the port to obviate ring of themixture within the reservoir pipe.

The spark plug 29 is in a normally incomplete circuit wh1ch includes anelectric battery and a series of insulated wireterminals, such as 30-(Fig. 2), disposed about a collar` 31 which is` rotatably mounted on thebearing b0x21 at one end of the easing.

. Said terminals are successively contacted by a brush 32 carried by aholder 321 secured to and rotatable with the engine shaft. 33 representsa lever pivoted at 331 and engaging with' a stud 311 on said collar toadjustably move the same to present the series of terminals 30 ahead orin a reverse direction to vary the relative position in. which theexplosivecharges are to be ignited.

When a charge is ignited, the force derived from the explosion actsuntil its power is nearly Spent at or about the time that a istoniniiuenced thereby arrives at an opening 34 provided near the bottom ofthe'front side of the casing whence the greater part of the burnt sesare discharged into a rece tacle 35. uch discharge into the latter 1sattained principally by centrifugal force due to the revolution of thepistons.

The receptacle 35 is in the nature of a conduit arranged tangentiallywith respect to the chamber 5 and lhas an outlet in the form menace of atubular nozzle 351 which extends into a compartment 36. This compartmentcommunicates by openings 37 with the bottom f the chamber, as aboveexplained, through openings 37 are accompanied by atmospheric airadmitted from opposite directions into the chamber through inlets 39disposed above fthe openings 37. The openings 39 and 37 serve asventilators for the chamber and the air currents which pass through thesame act as a scavengering agent, so to speak, t-o thoroughly clean thechamber. A quantity of air will, however, remain in the chamber to beconveyed by the onward v travel of the impelling piston, into positionwhereat oil is added in the form of a spray to afford an explosivemixture.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that the variousoperations or cycles, as conventionally termed, necessary to theoperation of an internal combustion engine, are performed by the presentinvention 1n a singlerotation of the engine shaft.v

While we have in the foregoing description descrlbed the loperation withrelation to a pair of pistons, it is to be understood that any suitablenumber of pistons may be,

employed and that `they will all be influenced by the explosions of thecharges as they successively revolve into positions which they willoccupy at the times the charges are ignited.

The passage of air into and out of the casing chamber throughVentilating openings 39 and 37, respectivelyfurnishes a means to coolthe'engine and, to further reduce the temperature, the casing isprovided with compartment 40 having inlet and outlet ypipe connections41 and 42 for the iow or circulationof the cooling water.

In Fig. 7 we illustrate an adaptation of the before described engine foruse by employing two o f such engines to act in a unitary manner, andpossessing certain advantages. In this View, only such parts are shownas are deemed necessary to an understanding` of the same.

More partlcularly, two casings are arranged in tangential relations witha com- I municating passage 43 between the respective chamberswhich aredesignated by 5a t and 5". This passage constitutes the rn compartmentfor both chambers.-

The shafts 11 and 11h of the respective chambers in this instance arearranged eccentrically, butl below and above a plane extending@ throughthe chambers axes and toward a vertical plane medially of the chambers.Toothed gears 44 are secured to the respective shafts Band areoperatively connected by an intermediate gear 45 to compel the twoshafts to be driven in the .same rotary directions and also cause thewheels 12 and pistons 9 to be turned uniformly.

What we claim, is-

1. In a rotary internal combustion engine having a circular chamber, aplurality of pistonsrevolubly mounted in said cham# ber, a fuel supplypipe for the chamber, means rendered operative through the agency of afluid compressed in one part of said chamber by the revolving pistonswhereby the fuel is injected from said supply pipe into a part of saidchamber whereat the fuel will be compressed with such Huid agent, andmeans to transfer the resultant compressed mixture into the firingportion of the chamber.

2. In an internal combustion engine, a circular chamber provided withfuel and air inlet and outlet Ventilating openings intermediate saidexhaust opening and the aforesaid openings, a wheel rotatable about anaxis eccentric of the chamber, a plurality of inlet openings, a gasexhaust opening, and.l

pistons` revoluble about an axis concentric 1 of said chamber, saidpistons extending through the rim of said wheel, means to ignite chargesof an explosivemixture of said fuel and air behind each pistonsuccessively whereby the pistons are driven to rotate Said wheel,whereupon the latter coperating with the pistons serve tov dischargethrough said exhaust opening previously exploded charges, and meansinfluenced by such discharges whereby a flow of air is caused to enterand leave the chamber through the re spective Ventilating openings. p

3. In a rotary internal combustion engine, a chamber having fuel inletand gas exhaust openings and also provided with Ventilating openings, acompartment communicating with said chamber through said exhaustopening, a second compartment communcating with said chamber andprovided with -a discharge openlng, and al nozzle extending from thefirst-named chamber into the second-named chamber and directed into thep tween said shafts whereb they are constrained to rotate. in simi arrotary directions, pistons revoluble about an axis concentric of each ofsaid chambers, operative connections between said shafts and therespective pistons, and a firing chamber common to both of the aforesaidchambers whereby an explosion occurring within the engine will serve tosimultaneously propel a piston in each chamber.

5; An internal combustion engine having two tangentially arrangedcircular chambers with an opening therebetween, a shaft extendingeccentrically through each of said chambers, a wheel secured to each ofthe shafts, series of pistons revoluble about the axes of the respectiveshafts and extending through the adjacent wheels into juxtaposition withthe peripheries of said chambers, and mechanical connections whereby thetwo shafts and the associateclwheels are con'- strained to rotate insimilar directions in the two chambers, said pistons being influencedvby explosions obtaining in the opening between the chambersv and thespaces in the latter which communicate therewith to actuate the engine.

6. In a rotary internal combustion engine, a circular chamber havingfuel inlet openings, an opening for the exhaust of the combustionproducts and inlet and outlet ventilating openings, fuel igniting means,a conexhausting such combustion product effect-j ing a iow of airthrough the respective Ventilating openings to clean the chamber inproximity to said Ventilating openings.

7. In an internal combustion engine, a

casing, two wheels mounted for rotation in said casing, pistonstherefor, shafts for the respective wheels, gear .connectlons between`said wheels whereby they are constrained to rotate in similardirections, and a firing chamber provided in' said chamber intermediatesaid wheels to effect the rotation of the wheels through pressureobtaining 'by the explosion .of gases in said firing chamber.

-Signed at Seattle, Washington, this 20th day of October, 1915.

ALBERT R. GARDNER. PAUL WASHBURN. Witnesses: l f PIERRE BARNES,-

E. PETERSON.

